Seed-planter.



PAT'BNTED an? 31, 1906a I. A. WEAVER. sssn PLANTER.

APPLIBATIUH FILED MAR. 10, 1904.

'e sanma-snnnr 1.

PATENTED JULY 31, 1906 1'.- A. WEAVER. SEED PLANTER. APPLIGAZEGH FILED MAR. 10, 1904.

PATEN'VJBD JULY a1, 1906.

I. A. WEAVER. SEED PLANTER. nrzmnmn rum) HAS-16, 1904 B SHEETS-BEBE! 4.

No. 322x131.

PATBNTED JULY 31, 1906.

I. A. WEAVER.

SEED PLANTBR. unwumn IILBD MAB.10,'1Qfi-i.

6 SHEETS-$113111 5.

PATEFITED JULY 31, 1906.

I. A. WEAVER. SEED PLANTER.

APPLHFA'EIBE FILED MAB-10, 1904.

B BEEETB-BHBET 6 wheels, mounte tom of the seedhoxes YITED STALllES IRA A. WEAVER, or SPRINGFIELD,

PATENT OFFICE.

ILLINOIS, ASSIGNQR TO ssorss- OF ILLINOIS.

SEED-PL NT Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 31, 1906.

Application filed March 16; lgili. Serial No. 197,544.

row and drill planter wherein the seed-plates ere driven intermittently,;the initielmovement being imparted by'a check-row wire and the movement completed 1) power derived from the axle of the gr'oun -wheels.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is s plan view showing the ground-wheels, the main frame, and seedboxiteme with parts broken away and arts 0 itted. Fig. 2 is e side elevation of t e ple ter with minor parts omitted. Fig. 3 is a broken sectional plan showing the gearing between the axle and the countershaft for driving the seed-plates. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are detail views of parts of said gearing. Fig. 7 is a plan view showing a. part of a runnet or front frame one of the seedboxes, the cheek-head, checli-fork, and teppet-wire. Fig. 8 is a plain view, partly broken away, of one end of the seedoox-frame below the seedhox and intended to show parts of the seedplate-drivin meohamsm. Fi Q is a. rear elevation s owing one of t e Fi 10 is a vertical seethe boot, intended to show the operation of the valves; Fi 11 is a perspective view of the counted-she t for driving the seed plates broken away, the check-fork, the driving-ring, a centhring device, and the valveoperatin g' medhanism; and Figs. 12, 13., snd 14 are detail views heel of the runner.

' showing the seedbox, the seed-plate, aind their associated parts.

-In the drawin s, 15 represents the groundufpon an axle 16, oh which the main or wheel ame 17is mounted.

18 re resents the seedbox-frame, carrying the B BGXbOXBS 19, end to which frame is also attached the runners or furrow-openers 20 end the seed-chute or hoot '21. .Inthe botare located seedletes S of an desir ed ty e, these seed-pie es sing driven y means 0 the driving-ring from a beveled pinion 22 on the counteraft 23. Saideounter-shaft is arranged parallel with 29, the shifting hein bar 31, operable long: wise of a. slot 32 in the eedboxes broken away, the boot or seed-chute, and the e' setsoreW 39' for fastenin it in'plsee.

'the mutilated gear 24 is movementof the gear 24 sufiiciently to mak the axle and is geared therewith through the beveled gears 24 25, driving-shaft 26, beveled gears 2? or 28, and gear 29, the latter being keyed on the axle. The beveled gear 24 is mutllsted, as seen in Figs. 3 and 4, but can be made continuous by moving the segment 30, mounted on the counter-s aft, into position, so that the teeth of said segment will register with the teeth of the gear 24, as clearly shown in Fig. 6. This provi= sion is made to enable theplsnter to be'converted from e. hilidrop to a drill. The Eowenshsft 26 is constantly driven and may e driven at different rates of s eed by shite .ing the one or the other of the eveled gears 27 28 into driving engagement with the ear effected by a sh ing power-shaft 26 and id in place by a. sleeve 33 and set-screw 34 on said shaft. For this urpose gears 2'? 28 are grooved, as shown at 27 28, and bar 31 has a tooth 31 to slide in ssid grooves, whereby to drive either of said sore, and when moved into keywsyt in gear ousing T' the gears 27 and 28 run loose on. the shaft.

The beveled gear 24 is held in mesh with gear b a spring 35 on the counter-shaft 23 andt e segmental gear 30 has its hub sleeved on the sleeve-hu of gear 12% sndJhas Fig. 4 it will e observed the so positioned that the gehr 25 ms run without driving it, and conseqnently t e counter-shaft 23 may res reference to main stationary and the seed-plates geared thereto inactive. To effect movement of the counter-shaft, and consequently" of the seed-plates, a check-fork 36 is secured on the outer end of the counter-shaft and rotates therewith, and a tappet-wire 37 is guided thereto by means of a guard 38011 a. bracket 39.- ,When one of the to, check-fork, it carries it has ward, revolving the counter-shaft 23 suflicientl to impart an initial movement to the see late. This partielrotsry movement of t e, countenshaft also results in a corresponding rotary e one of its teeth engage with the teeth of the gear25yand the gear 24 and counter-emit are driven thereby until the shaft has made a complete revolution, thus carrying the seedpets strikes the spring 44.

. plate is guided hypin 46.

plate around sufficiently to deposit the required number of kernels of corn.

For the purpose of centering the gear 24- in its inactive position a centering-wheel 4t) is mounted on counter-shaft 23 and has its rim or edge provided with a depression or seat 4]. An arm 42 is mounted to rock in a socket on the frame (see Fig 9) and is provided with a roller 43, which is held in corn tact with the rim of the wheel by the The sloping sides of the seat 41 are of such configuration that the roller 4.; will, under the tension of the spring, tend to center the shaft, thus bringing the mutilated or interrupted portion of the gear-wheel 24 into right relative position to the gear '25, so that upon a slight rocking movement of the shaft 23 i will be operatively engaged with the pmver-shaft. 'lhe centering-wheel and the arm cooperating therewith are also made to operate the seed-valves, and for this purpose the inner end of the arm 42 has mounted therein a hell-crank, one arm 4:) of which carries a cut-off or slide-plate 46, which closes the bottom of the seed-chute. 'le slide- Arm 47 ol bellcrank is pivotally connected to a valve rod or link 48, which in turn is pivoted to a seed-cup 49, having a flange 50 closing one side thereof, while a pivoted valve 5] on the link 48 closes the other side. The lower end of this pivoted valve 51 contactsv'ith a sloping surface 52 of the inner wall of the boot.

When'a tappet on the tappet-wire strikes the check-fork, it imparts an initial rotary movement to the counter-sluilt, and this rotary movement is continued by the enmeshing of the gears 24 During the first part of this n'iovcment the slide-plate 46 is closed and the seed-cup at the bottom of the bootis opened, the pivoted valve 51 in the seed-cup pitching the grains of corn forward against the flan e 50, so as to insure the delivery of the sect without scattering. As the countor-shat t completes its revolution the roller on the arm 42 again enters its seat in the centering-wheel under the action of its control ling-spring, thereby withdrawing the slideplate 46, upon whic the corn has been delivered by e rotation of the seed-plates and allowing the corn to drop into the seed-cup in the bottom of the boot, which in the meantime has closed. v

It is obvious that instead of employing a single check-fork and causing a com letc revolution of the counter-shaft for the ro ping of each hill that two check-for s may be secured to the counter-shaft, suitable modification being made in the contour of the centering-wheel, said shaft being driven through only a part of a revolution for each deposit.

Theparts are so timed that the backward movement of the chcck-fork is accelerated slightly over the forward advance of the planter, thus preventing any drag of the tap l pet-wire on the check-fork. The check-fork i being secured to aml rotating with the counitcr-shaft avoids the oscillating or rocking movement requiring the return of the check- 1 fork after each actuation and the shocks consequent thereon and enabling the simplifying of-the cheek-fork head, the latter consisting only of a bracket carrying a simple guideroller for lifting the tappet-wire, and consel quently reducing appreciably the friction on said wire. I Attention is called to the fact that all clutch mechanism is dispensed with, the

gears maintaining constant relation to each other and rolling into contact under the initial movement oi the shaft imparted by the tappet-wire, while driving c1i,'a-ge1nclit is prevented until the shaft is initadly turned through the action of the tappet-wire upon the l'ork.

'lhe planter readily converted from a cliecl\'-ro\\' to a dri l by moving the gear-se ment into the ,lllil'i'SPtHU ol' the llllll'll ilifll gear and disconnecting the spring which controls the valves, the tappet-wire ol'course being thrown oil. The means for changing the speed is very simpleand enables the planter to be thrown entirely out of action or driven at dill'erent rates ol'speed by the sim )leshiltiug ol' the sliding key on the |)t)\\'t-Sll2tft.

l claiur in a planter, the combination with the seed-plates of a rotatable shaft for driving said plates intermittcnt ly, a check-fork-carried by said shaft and adapted to he engaged by a tappet-wire whereby to impart an ini tial rotative movement to the shaft and seedplates and gearing betweei. said shaft and the wheel-axle, said earing being made 0 erative by the initialrotative movement 0 the shaft, substantially as described,

2. In a planter the combination with the seed-plates of a driving-shaft for saidseedf plates, a check-fork secured to and rotating with said shaft and adapted to impart a liartial rotary movement t wrote when en aged by a tappet on the tappet-wire, a mutllated gear on said shaft normally inactive, a o'wershaft constantly having a pinion adapted to engage the mutilated gear when a partial rotary ovement is nnparted by the tappet-wire, at stantially as described. I y

3. In a planter, the combination with rotary seed-plates of a shaft operativel c'o'nnet-ted thereto for intermittent] riving said seed-plates, a tappet-wire a apted to impart an initial rotary movement to S shaft, a mutilated ear thereon, a pinion iiotf malty disengaged irom' said mutilated gbhf and adapted to been aged therewith byjsitl d partial rotation of tie seed flats-amt? shaft, means for driving sai 'imon c stantly from the wheel-axle, an arenas di maintaining the gearing in inoperative po'sldriven from the ax e and tion until engaged b the action of the tappet-wire, substantia y as described.

4. In a planter, the combination with rotary seed-plates thereof, of a shaft for driving said seed-plates, a mutilated gear carried by said shaft, a power-shaft driven omthe axle and having a pinion normally operatin in theinterspace of said mutilated gear an means controlled by the tappet-wire for imparting a partial rotary movement to the shaft whereby tially as described.

5. In a planter, the combination with ro tary seed-plates thereof of a shaft for driving 1 5 said plates, a'mutilated gear on said shaft, a pinion driven from the axle and'working in the inters ace of said mutilated gear, means controlle by the tappebwire for im arting an initial rotary movement to said shaft whereby to engage said ears, and means carried by said shaft to ho d said gears normally in an inoperative position, substantially as described.

6. In a planter, the combination with ro- 5 tary seed-plates of a driving-shaft therefor, a gear on said shaft adapted to be driven from the wheel-axle, means carried by the shaft for maintaining the gear in an inoperative position with'relation to the axle-driving means, and means controlled by the tappet-wire for rim arting to said shaft and seedlates a. partie. rotary movement whereby t e gearing is .engaggl, substantially as described. 7. a planter, the combination with the seed-plates of a shaft for driving said lates,

a mutilated gear carried by said she and gearing connected with the wheel-axle, said gearing having a pinion working in the inter space of the mutilated gear, and a gear-segment adapted to be removably secured in the interspace of the mutilated gear whereby a constant rotary movement may be imparted to the seedzlplate-driving shaft, substantially as describe .5 8; In a lanter, the combinationwith a seedplateriving shaft having a mutilated to engage said gears, snbstan- 7 lower valve having a gear thereon, of a driving-pinion norgnally workin in the interspace of said gear and adapte to be engaged therewith by a par-. tial rotary movement of the shaft, means controlled by the tappehwire for imparting such partial rotary movement to the shaft, and means carried by the shaft for maintainin the mutilated gear in anvinoperative position, said means comprising a cam-disk and a spring-controlled arm engaging said cam, an means controlled by-the tappetmdre for impartingl an initial rota movement to the drivingaft, substantial y as described.

9. In a corn-planter, the combination with the rotary seedlates of a driving-shaft therefor, a gear-wheel secured to the wheel axle, and havin sets of concentricall -arranged gear-teeth thereon, a power-she t for transmitting motion from the wheel-axle to the seedlate-driving shaft and ha aphirality of rive-pinions loosely mount thereon, and a sliding key said pinions with said described,

10. in a plantenthe combination with a seed-plate-drivi'ng shaft and means for driving said shaft, of a cam-disk carried thereby, a rocking arm controlled by the cam-disk, a slide-plate carried by said arm and constituting an up or valve, a second valve, and connections et'ween said valve and said arm, substantially as described.

11. In a planter, the combination with a rotary seed-plate of a seed-plate-driving shaft, a cam-disk carried thereby, an arm shaft, substantially as.

for engaging either of.

controlled by the sad cam and upper and lower valves controlled by said arm, the ivoted member and means for swinging sai member on its pivot as the valve opens, substantially as' and for the purpose described.

IRA A. WEAVER.

Witnesses: n

T. P. Lnnr, R. R. FREY. 

